By nature, home renovations or remodels can be rather crazy. There is so much noise, people walking in and out of your home, and everywhere you look there is dust and debris. When you add children to this equation, you can expect things to become a lot more chaotic.
Of course, it may be inevitable that you need redesign your kitchen or have to fix up the bathroom when your kids are still very young. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to negate the pandemonium that will ensue from such a project. Just check out these tips:
Know When to Hand Over the Reins
First things first – are you going to hire a professional to handle most of the renovations for you? Now, if you are handy with tools, there are a number of tasks that you can manage. However, even then, you are just going to have to draw the line at what you can and can’t do. After all, the last thing you need is to be surrounded by a destroyed house that you aren’t sure how to put back together.
So, make a list of the things that you can do – this could be grouting, painting, or anything else that you have the tools and skillset for. The rest is best left up to the experts. Sure, it may cost you a bit more but it will help you to stay sane during this time.
Focus on One Room at a Time
While your main goal could be to save time, it is not wise to try and fix up several parts of your house at once. Remember, your kids will still need to be fed, bathed, and tucked in at the same time as usual. So, if you work on too many rooms at once, this schedule will be disrupted. Not to mention, it is a lot easier for you to keep them away from just one part of the house rather than many.
Another thing to keep in mind is that before getting started on main parts of the house, like the kitchen, set up a makeshift area. This way, you will be able to continue with daily activities without interruption and your day will go a lot more smoothly.
Create a Play Space
As mentioned, you really don’t want your little one to keep walking into the construction zone. Well, the only real way to keep their curiosity at bay is to direct their attention towards something else. This is why you should consider setting up a makeshift play area either inside or outside the house. You can stock it with toys, books, snacks, and everything else you will need to keep your child occupied. In turn, this will help to keep them out of the construction crew’s way.
Relieve Any Anxieties
Believe it or not, a home renovation can actually be quite stressful for your little one. Just think about it – their haven is changing rather drastically, there is a lot of disorder and commotion, and there are suddenly a lot of new people walking in and out of their home. All of this can actually result in a few behavioral changes in your child. They may act out or become increasingly clingy.
A great way to alleviate these anxieties is to get the kids involved in the project in some way. For instance, you could ask their help in choosing paint colors, tiles, or similar options. You can even get them some play tools so that they can ‘aid’ in the construction process. This way, your children will look at these time as an exciting one rather than a stressful situation.
Get Help
You are certainly going to find it quite difficult to pay attention to your children while also instructing the workers what to do. This is why you will find that the kids need to be taken elsewhere like the park or a friend’s house. If it is all hands on deck and neither you nor your partner can leave, you should call in a babysitter or have a family member help out.
So, ahead of time, come up with a list of people that you can turn to at a moment’s notice. This way you can ensure that things will move more smoothly and you won’t be hassled.
These are all the tricks you can use to be able to get through a home renovation relatively unscathed. Of course, you should keep in mind that there will be unexpected surprises along the way so you should always be prepared for anything.
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